Lottery Day Top Ten

Welcome to Lottery Day, everyone! It’s time for a quick reminder about what’s on the line tonight with my Lottery Day Top Ten Prospects.

I don’t have a huge stable of prospect insiders at my disposal but I do have a handful of scouts from both NHL teams and independent services that haven’t learned to hate me just yet.

As of Tuesday morning, the Oilers are slotted to pick 7th overall but could still end up selecting 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 8th, 9th or 10th.

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From what I’m told these are the top ten prospects available for the 2019 draft.

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TIER ONE:

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1. Jack Hughes – Center – USA NTDP

The gap between 1st and 2nd has closed but it has more to do with the play of Kaapo Kakko as opposed to any struggles from Jack Hughes. He’s an extremely talented centre but if the Oilers were to win the lottery he would most certainly begin his career on the wing, next season.

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2. Kaapo Kakko – Right Wing / Center – Turku, Finland

Kakko has steadily improved the entire season while playing against men in Finland. At the beginning of the year there was a little bit of debate about who would be the second overall pick but Kakko has done an excellent job crushing any sort of discussion. If the Oilers end up with the 2nd overall selection there should be no hesitation in calling his name.

TIER TWO:

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3. Vasili Podkolzin – Right Wing – St. Petersburgh, Russia

I had a few folks tell me he’s the runaway number three prospect in this year’s draft but others suggest it’s not that clear cut so I decided to put him in the second tier as opposed to a tier on his own. He’s a very complete player, which isn’t something you hear very often about top end Russian prospects. I will be very interested to see where the discussion goes if the Oilers end up with the third overall pick following the lottery.

There is not a lot separating Bryam, Cozens and Dach but I value Byram a little bit more because he separates himself more from others at his position. In a forward heavy draft, Byram is the undisputable top defenseman available. He was a point-per-game d-man in the WHL this season and I had one scout tell me he thinks he’s just starting to scratch the surface of what his offensive upside may end up being. Unless a trade is made the Oilers won’t be selecting 4th, 5th or 6th so unless he slips a bit he likely won’t be on their radar.

5. Dylan Cozens – Center – Lethbridge, WHL

Cozens and Dach have been linked together for a couple of years now and there won’t be much separating them on draft day in Vancouver. Cozens is a big center who moves extremely well. He will likely need another year in junior, which will end up being a dominant season for the Lethbridge Hurricanes. I’d be shocked if he’s still on the board at seven if the Oilers hold serve in that slot.

6. Kirby Dach – Center/Right Wing – Saskatoon, WHL

Dach ended up at the bottom of my second tier because one of my scouting contacts had him 9 to11 range. He shows flashes of brilliance and does not wait for the game to come to him. I’m not sure it will happen but Dach is the most likely name to slide out of the top six which means the Oilers may very well have the option to take him.

TIER THREE

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7. Trevor Zegras – Center/Wing – USA NTDP

The best thing about Zegras is that he can be whatever you need him to be. He dominates inside the blueline offensively; he already has a pro-awareness defensively and is willing to agitate as well. I think he’s a guy that Oilers fans will be in favour of should the team remain in the seven hole.

He’s the second of three American talents to round out my top ten. The Wisconsin recruit has an offensive game that may fly under the radar the bit because he plays a hard, responsible game at both ends of the ice. There isn’t anything sexy about his game but he doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses either.

9. Matthew Boldy – Left Wing– USA NTDP

He’s the biggest of these three American kids and he’s also the purest goal scorer of the trio. He has size, a great shot and soft hands. The thing that really brings it all together though is excellent hockey sense. If the Oilers are willing to draft by positional need this summer he may very well fit the bill.

10. Arthur Kaliyev – Right Wing – Hamilton, OHL

If you need goals, he’s your guy. Kaliyev scored 31 goals as a 16-year old in the OHL last season and followed that up with 51 goals this year. He’s not as complete as the three players from the United States above him in Tier 3 but he can one-time the puck and has shown the ability to find a lot of open ice. If the Oilers really like Kaliyev he could be a target to trade down for.

LET THE BALLS FALL

The good news is that worst-case scenario the Oilers will come back from Vancouver with one of these players. For a team that could really use some help up front, it’s a good year to be drafting in the top ten.

Go ahead and win. I have watched the Oilers make a mockery of the Lottery for a decade now. None of it has helped. 4 #1s…no change. Go ahead get a 5th, see if I care. Even the Generational One hasn’t made a lick of difference

Come on Oilers fans, trying to chase this thing away with logic or reason is just a waste of your time. If my team were in the playoffs I’d be getting my orange and blue wig ready and deciding on a face paint theme. Not flames fans…gotta troll ON with that inferiority complex. Sad, sad life.

I do not want anything to do with the Russian. I do not care if some consider him the lock to be #3, Yakupov has forever tainted my feel on Russians. The Oilers need a player who will 100% play for them, be good and bring it all the time. Guys out of Russia are gambles, they always have been. They play a different game over their and there is always the fear of them either not coming over or as soon as it doesn’t go perfectly, they just go back to the KHL because as a highly touted Russian, they know they will get paid.

When I look at Puljujarvi as an example. He was big, fast and skilled. At one point, he was the #2 before Laine passed him. The Oilers didn’t develop him properly, hopefully he will turn into a decent player but the one thing he does not do is COMPETE enough. Way too many nights he’s just floating around. Then you look at Tkachuk. He wasn’t as big, no where near as fast and not as skilled as JP but the guy plays his freaking ass off pretty much every night.

If the Oilers end up at say #3, I’d be looking at either Byram, Cozens or Dach.

I would go with Dach. I mean it was just one game and maybe he had an off night but I watched a Lethbridge vs red deer game and Cozens was very underwhelming. He had flashes of gear skill but so much floating around and he did not compete in the corners much for pucks.

If Oilers win, I would target a trade with the Rangers. Number 1 and a salary dump for Mika and their number 1. They could use a star like Hughes. If they won’t give up Mika, then take their number 1, 2020 2nd rounder (which should be high) and Kreider. NYR number this year should be in the 7-9 range, so we would still get a decent asset under team control. I would be curious if playing in Edmonton would be tough on Dach.

I hope everyone realizes next year’s draft 2020 is deep like 2015 was . And I hope everyone knows It took Mario Lemieux 7 years to win the Cup with Pittsburgh . So Edmonton just need to be Patient . Trust me , there are good times ahead .

Why does none of the blame here fall on Jesse? The Oilers ruined him! BULLS___! He is a hockey player and never made any effort to learn the language. This is NOT the Oilers responsibility. That is why they make big money, so they can afford these things that the average person can’t. Prove you can play!